Cutting one fizzy drink lowers child heart risk

Fizzy drinks appeared to lie at the centre of a constellation of health risks in childrenTony Garcia/Corbis

Cutting children’s fizzy drink intake by one can a week raises their levels of “good” cholesterol in the long term, a study has suggested.

Sugar-sweetened drinks “devoid of nutritional value” were also found to raise the children’s levels of triglycerides, a type of fat regarded as a key harbinger of heart disease.

While the links between sugary drinks, weight problems and diabetes are long established, the paper is one of the first to look in detail at how consuming large quantities can affect young people’s biochemistry in the long run.

Scientists in the US have found that reducing the amount of sugary drinks children consume by a single serving boosted their level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which is linked to a lower risk of…